Mansfield District Council has invested in five more electric vans, which are reducing carbon emissions and saving fuel.

A variety of council departments, including parks, street cleaning, and waste and recycling are now using the authority’s seven electric vehicles.

The adoption of electric vehicles for daily maintenance follows the council declaring a climate emergency in March 2019. It has since developed a climate change strategy and action plan to enable it to meet its carbon-neutral target by 2040.

The introduction of greener vehicles complements ongoing work by the council to green up the town, from the creation of four new-build homes on Saundby Avenue, which achieved coveted Passivhaus accreditation for energy efficiency and ultra-low carbon emissions, to the planting of thousands of trees in partnership with Sherwood Forest Trust.

Mayor Andy Abrahams said: “The council is working towards its plan to transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2040, and while many of our front-line team members need to move around the district to deliver services to our residents, we are starting to do it in a much greener and cleaner way.”

The council said the new vehicles would bring significant fuel savings — around £1,500 in diesel per small van and £3,000 for larger vans.

The smaller vans were cheaper to buy than their diesel counterparts.